The San Diego Padres don't seem to know what they are through 100 games or what they want at the MLB trade deadline. According to Ken Rosenthal, the club might play the parts of seller and buyer next week. The Padres' approach could depend on how their week goes with two home series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and Texas Rangers.

At 48-52, the Padres are fourth in the NL West and 10 games behind first. They are also 5.5 games back from the third Wild Card spot. The playoffs are still on the table, but San Diego's season as a whole has been disappointing. Even if they make the playoffs, the Padres just aren't good enough to meaningfully contend this year.

However, they appear to believe that they are. The Padres already have a massive payroll, and Rosenthal believes they're leaning towards buying at the MLB trade deadline to maximize their expensive talent.

But, should the Padres choose to be sellers at the deadline, ace left-hander Blake Snell, closer Josh Hader and outfielder Juan Soto could all be pieces in motion.

Soto becomes a free agent at the end of the 2024 season, and if the Padres aren't contenders, he's likely to leave. San Diego already gave up young assets to get Soto, intending to sign him to a long-term extension. They might have to bite the bullet and see if they can replace the talent they lost with new prospects in yet another Soto trade.

Blake Snell has been fantastic after a slow start to the year. Since May 19, he's thrown 63 innings and given up just five runs. He also has 95 strikeouts to 32 walks in that span. He becomes a free agent at the end of the year.

If the Padres sell, they're most likely to shop Josh Hader. The closer also becomes a free agent in a few months, and teams like the Rangers are likely to be active in the relief pitching market at the deadline.

Again, the Padres' plan depends on the team's success over the next week. If they end up losing 5 out of 7 heading into the deadline, they're more likely to shop some expiring contracts. If things go well, and the market is flexible, they could still try to improve before the postseason.